Hydrocarbon generator and burner.



"No. 837,604. PATENTED DEC. 4, 1906.

T. BULL. HYDROGARBON GENERATOR AND BURNER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Witnessea- I t I %ma w 4%? No. 837,604. PAIENTBD DEC. 4, 1906.

Q T. BULL. HYDROGARBON GENERATOR AND BURNER.

7 APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fitness gs? (Z Z-Mm :UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HYDROCARBON GENERATOR AND BURNER- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 4, 1906.

Application filed June 28, 1905. Serial No. 267,355.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS BULL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Santa Clara, in the county of Santa Clara and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Im provements in HydrocarbonGenerators and Burners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to oil-burners, and especially to burners for usein ordinary stoves, grates, and the like. Its object is to provide asafe, simple, cheap, and practical burner for crude or low-gravity oilswhich can be applied easily to any ordinary stove and which will notclog up or carbonize, but which will effect as near a perfect combustionas can be obtained in devices of this character.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combinationof parts, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, havingreference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a frontelevation, in partial section, of a generator applied to a firebox of anordinary cooking-stove. Fig. 2 is a side elevation and partial sectionof same. Figs. 3 and 4: are modifications and similar views as shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

A represents the fire-box or combustion chamber of an ordinary stoveprovided with a bottom plate 2 and inclosed on all sides, except for theusual draft-passage 3 over the top of the oven.

In the preferred form of the invention, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2,the generator and burner are combined in a single solid casting havingthe two vertical air-trunks 4, the intermediate horizontal generator 5,and the downwardly-pro ecting and forwardly-curved vapor discharge ornozzle 6. This casting is set into the stove with the trunks inclinedback toward the top of the fire-box. so that when the vapor issuing fromnozzle 6 is ignited the flames will be swept by the draft back againstand up over the generator to envelop the latter and heat it to a highdegree of temperature.

The air-trunks have flanges 7, which support the device on the bottomplate 2 and allow it to be bolted thereto. The trunks project throughand below the bottom plate and are open to the atmosphere outside thefirebox. WVhen the burner is in operation, the air thus drawn in passesinto the generator 5 to be commingled with the vaporized oil and waterwhich is admitted as a liquid mixture through the pipe 8 at the back ofthe generator. The thoroughly-mixed and heated vapors and air aredischarged from the nozzle toward the front of the fire-box and arereadily ignited.

An important feature of this form of the invention is that the oil andwater are mixed together before being admitted to the generator, whilein the modified form (shown .in Figs. 3, 4 and hereinafter described)the oil and water are admitted separately to the generator.

Pipe 8 connects with any suitable source of oil-supply. Entering pipe 8exterior to the generator and here shown exterior to the fire-box is awater-pipe 9. If desired, a second pipe 10 may tap pipe 8 and connectwith a tank containing high-grade oil or distillate, to be used'onlywhen a fire is first started and for the purpose of quickly heating upthe burner, thereby avoiding the necessity of pouring some coal-oil intoa pan in the stove or placing therein a rag saturated with oilorresorting to some such crude arrangement to light the fire.

Suitable valves 11 12 13 control the flow from the several sources ofliquid-supply through the respective pipes 8 9 10.

The oil and water being admitted together in suitable proportions andquantity tend to flow down the curved spout 6, which is flat tened onthe back and bottom, as shown at 14, so as to spread the liquid andpermit it to be the more readily vaporized when the burner and generatorbecome heated.

I have discovered that if the oil and water are admitted in a mixedcondition into the generator and while both are in liquid state theinlet-pipe is thus kept clean and has little or no tendency to becomeincrusted with lime deposits from the water or with the baked oilresiduum.

The lower inner side of the nozzle 6 has a broad flat plate extension orlip 15 projecting beyond its front open end, which serves when the oilis first turned in and the stove is cold to spread the oil and assist inits becoming quickly ignited. It also serves, which is important tonote, to confine the gases after the generator is in full blast and bykeeping them from spreading too much help to get a more solid flame. Ifthe gas spreads out too much,

If deit is liable to make too thin a flame.

sired, the plate or lip 15 may be provided with the shallow lateralflanges or walls 16 and may be corrugated on its upper surface.

16 is a metal box or casing set into and fitting the fire-box snug andsurrounding the burner. This box is here shown as open at the bottom andresting on plate 2, and partly open at the top, having a shallow front"wall extending about to or a little above the upper edge of the openmouth of the nozzle 6 said box having a back extending above the burnerand provided with a horizontal ledge or shelf 17, projecting frontwardand above and just a little beyond the generator. Obviously the box andthe bottom plate 2 could be made integral, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The essential feature about the box is the cover portion or extension17, which causes all the flame after striking beneath the generator topass around to the front and up over the generator, and so subject it toall the heat possible. Furthermore, I have found that the shelf servesto intercept and retain the unconsumed particles of carbon from the oiland vapor and prevent their being lost up the chimney. By means of somesuch a deflector and arrester as the shelf 17 the operator can tell bynoting any accumulations of carbon under the shelf whether theproportions of oil and water are properly regulated. Where oil-burnersare used for domestic'pur oses, it is ofted noted what a quantity ofblac smoke pours from the chimney. This indicates not only imperfectcombustion but a waste of oil and a consequent clogging of the flues inthe stove and chimney.

Whatever solid combustible matter is lodged in the space beneath theshelf is consumed when the parts become highly heated. The operation ofthe burner is as follows: Assuming the burner and stoveto be cold, asmall quantity of distillate is admitted from pipe 10 into the generatorthrough pipe 8, the valves in pipes 9 and 8 remaining closed for thetime being. The oil thus admitted flows down the nozzle and is ignitedas it passes over the lip 15. The burner becomes quickly heated up andthe valve in pipe 8 is gradually opened. When the generator has gottenhot enough to cause the heavier oil (whichmay be as low gravity as 14Baum) to ignite, the valve in pipe 10 may be closed and the valve in thewater-pipe 9 gradually opened. The mixed oil and water flows down andspreads over the flat surface 14 of the generator -to become bothcommingled in a vapor which mixes with the air induced through thetrunks 4 to form aninflammable gas. The volume of vapor issuing from thenozzle is ignited, and when once the proper proportions of water and oilare adjusted a clean smokeless flame sweeps back under and over thefront of the generator. It is the mingling of the air, oil, and waterwithin the generator and the forming of the gas therein,

the direction of the flames downward to the front of the fire-box, andthe disposition of the generator at the back and above and in theimmediate path of all the flames that form the important features ofthis invention. The generator gets the full benefit of all the heat, andas long as the generator is maintained hot enough to make gas the firewill be kept up. The result is that this burner I rate oil-feed pipe 8is passed up through one air-flue section 4 and discharges into thegenerator-section 5, while a water-pipe 9 passes up through the otherflue and discharges into the other end of the generator. The upper endsof the pipes 8 9 terminate in return-bends 8 9, and cooks 11 12 controlthe flow through said pipes. The generator-section 5 consists of a Twith nipples 18, connecting the ends of the T with elbows 19, into whichfits the sections 4. An elbow 6 connects with the T and forms adischarge-nozzle directed downward to the front and near the bottom ofthe fire-box. This elbow-section 6 is preferably of special design, witha flat curved back and bottom 14 and a lip 15, similar to theconstruction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and previously described. The air-trunksections 4 preferably screw up into the elbows 19 in such a way as toleave a suitable wall 20 at each end of the gener-- ator, over which thereturn-bends 8 9 may hook and be supported. At the same time these wallsprevent any backflow into the pipes 4 of the liquid or liquidsdischarged from pipes 8 9. The air-pipes 4 extend below the fire-box andterminate in the ashchambers 21, their lower ends being open to theatmosphere and preferably flared to permit of a large intake of air.

The generator and burner arearranged in the fire-box and operate in allessential particulars just like the device of Figs. 1 and 2. The bottomplate 2 and the box 16 are here shown as integral.

It is possible that various modifications in my invention may be madewithout departing from the principle thereof, and I do not wish to beunderstood as limiting myself to the specific construction as hereinshown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. An apparatus for burning liquid hydro- IIS carbon, comprising atubular structure having approximately vertical air-trunks and anintermediate horizontal generator portion, said generator portionprovided with a clown- Wardlyextending forwardlycurved contracted throatportion forming a vapor-outlet, and means for delivering oil and waterdirectly into the generator at a point between the air-inlets and saidvapor-outlet, whereby the generated vapor and the air combine in thechamber before discharging therefrom.

2. The combination with a combustionchamber, of a generator comprising atubular structure having a horizontal generator portion and air-trunksat the ends of said portion extending below the combustion-chamber andopen to the atmosphere, said generator having a downwardly-extendingvaporoutlet within the combustion-chamber and directed toward the frontof the latter, means for delivering oil and water directly into thegenerator-chamber, whereby the generated vapor and the air combine inthe chamber before discharging into the combustionchamber, and a hood orcasing at the back and extending over the top of the generator andoperating to arrest the unconsumed particles of combustion and to directthe flames around the front of the generator.

3. A generator for liquid hydrocarbon, comprising a tubular structurehaving end air-trunks open to the atmosphere and an intermediatehorizontal generator portion connected with and in continuation of saidairtrunks, said generator portion having a downwardly and forwardlyextending vapor-discharge nozzle said nozzle being of curved form anddecreasing in diameter toward its outlet, and a liquid-fuel pipedischarging directly into the generator between said airtrunks and theoutlet of said nozzle, said nozzle having a projecting lip on its underside.

4. A generator for liquid hydrocarbon, comprising a tubular structurehaving end air-trunks open to the atmosphere and an intermediatehorizontal generator portion connected with and in continuation of saidairtrunks, said generator portion having a downwardly and forwardlyextending vapor-dis charge nozzle and a liquid-fuel pipe dischargingdirectly into the generator between said air-trunks and the outlet ofsaid nozzle, said nozzle having a flattened back and bottom whereby theliquid fuel has a chance to spread in the nozzle, said nozzle having aprojecting lip on its under side and in continuation of said flattenedbottom portion.

5. A burner for hydrocarbon comprising a tubular structure havingvertical end portions and an intermediate horizontal portion, said endportions open to permit the free entry of air and said intermediateportion having a centrally-located downwardly-extending andforwardly-curved outlet, and oil and water pipes entering the horizontalportion of the tubular structure and discharging therein one at one sideof the said outlet-and the other at the opposite side thereof.

6. A hydrocarbon-burner comprising interchangeable pipe sections andconnections, said sections including portions open for the freeadmission of air and a horizontal section connecting the sections andprovided with a centrally-located downwardly-extending andforwardly-curved vapor-outlet, means for heating the horizontal portionof the structure by the vapor escaping from the outlet thereof, andmeans for delivering a vaporizable fluid upon the wall of the horizontalportion at the side of the outlet whereby vapor is generated in saidhorizontal portion and mixes with the air therein prior to delivery fromsaid portion, said outlet being contracted at the delivery end.

7 A generator for liquid hydrocarbon consisting of horizontally-arrangedinterchangeable pipe sections and connections open at the ends withdownwardly-extending sections inclosing air-flues, said generator havinga downwardly-extending vapor-outlet intermediate of said flues, saidoutlet curving forwardly toward the front of the combustion-chamber, andan oil-pipe discharging into the generator on one side of thevaporoutlet and a water-pipe discharging into the generator on the otherside of the vaporoutlet.

8. A generator for liquid hydrocarbon consisting ofhorizontally-arranged interchangeable pipe sections and connections openat the ends with downwardly-extending sections inclosing air-flues, saidgenerator having a downwardly-extending curved vaporoutlet intermediateof said flues, an oil-pipe discharging into the generator on one side ofthe vapor-outlet and a water-pipe discharging into the generator on theother side of the vapor-outlet, said oil and water pipes passing upthrough the said air-flues, and means to 1plrevent the backflow of thefluid into the airues.

9. Thecombination with a combustionchamber, of an oil-burner comprisingairtrunks connected across their upper ends to provide agenerator-space, the generatorspace in said connections between saidtrunks having a downwardly-extending and forwardlycurved vapor-outletadapted to project the flame toward the front of the combustion-chamber,an oil-feed pipe discharging into the-generator on one side of thevapor-outlet and a water-feed pipe discharging thereinto on the otherside of said outlet.

10. The combination with a combustionchamber of a generator locatedtherein having downwardly-extending portions at its ends passing beyondthe combustion-chamber and inclosing air-passages, said generatorhaving'a downwardly-extending and curved my hand in presence of twosubscribing Witvapor-outlet Within the combustion-chamnesses.

ber and directed toward the front of the latter, and respective oil andWater pipes passing THOMAS BULL 5- up through the end extensions of thegenera- Witnesses:

tor and discharging into the latter. CHAS. A. BUL In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set EMMA LYNAM.

